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Nyanvic
Shirou got out of the Resistance Camp, generally unsure of where exactly he should go and what to look for. They said it clearly that he should go into the desert and find machines that threaten the city, but ...
Shirou has already been to the desert, in his own world and in the Louise's world, in Germany. And it was, in principle, not the best decision - to go there. Especially without preparation. With limited water supplies, with extremely low knowledge of enemy forces and their abilities ...
So, essentially, Shirou will have to deal with it as usual. Not according to the script, not according to the plan, but according to circumstances. Although he would like to avoid this.
He did not even move fifteen meters away from the Camp, when suddenly an idea occurred to him, which delighted him and only because he dealt with it before he went very far.
Because there were swords in the Camp. There was a person who was selling them.
Perhaps it was worth going back to see them? Something might come in handy. No, Shirou certainly had no doubts about his treasury, as well as the treasury of Gilgamesh, but ... what if?
And with such thoughts, he turned back and returned to the Camp. The same guys who stood near the entrance waved to him and he just nodded in response.
Deeper into the territory, he looked for that person and found that he was sitting in his place.
The "blacksmith," as Shirou decided to call him, was polishing a rather artisanal blade, and Emiya decided to stand for a while to see what he was doing.
He worked quite skillfully and finished pretty quickly. Immediately after that, he took several different parts, put them on the workbench in front of him and began to examine them, clearly deciding what to use best.
This moment Shirou decided to use as the most suitable one to come closer and ask about the things that interest him most.
"Excuse me, sir."
While in Halkeginia, Shirou was accustomed to addressing people in a "Western" way and therefore had no problem with it. In addition, for a long time, even in his own world, he didn't live in Japan. Sometimes he missed the strict Japanese address, and intended to insert here and there all sorts of suffixes, which, as he later realized, were incomprehensible to others.
And then he decided to use the same "Western" style of communication, thinking that it would be more familiar. Although the language he spoke could not be accurately defined as Japanese. Thanks to Apeiron, Shirou was able to speak without problems and what language it was did not matter, because he was able to speak it and understand it regardless.
However, writing became the only means of language identification. Anemone showed him a map with English symbols. Therefore, it was possible that English was primary language here, but Shirou could not say for sure. In his home world, many countries could use English as another way of communication.
"Yes, bro? Do you want something?" he answered him politely and even cheerfully.
"I saw that you have swords, and I would like to see them," Shirou replied straight off the bat, getting to the heart of the matter, and not beating around the bush. "I'm interested in everything you have." In response, the android raised his eyebrows, and Shirou rushed to add. "Anything that, one way or another, resembles swords, daggers and spears. Anything you can offer me."
The big android got up and rubbed his hands together excitedly. But Shirou will definitely upset him, because he won't buy anything. He doesn't even know what currency is used in this place.
"Well, let's go and see what I have."
He left his seat and headed somewhere to the right, away from the place where the conversation with Anemone took place. Shirou additionally took note of that, the android really stood there, but in fact, she did not pay attention to anyone, reading some book. Shirou got interested. He did not think that any literature was preserved in this world. But he could ask about the books later.
As they passed by, Anemone looked up just for a moment, measured them both, and returned to reading, probably finding nothing unusual about Shirou's return. You never know, since he returned, it means some business. Shirou approved of this approach.
For a moment the thought flashed through his head: why not ask again where to go? More precisely, where exactly to go in the desert?
But as soon as he wanted to turn to Anemone, a voice in his head immediately stopped him.
You shouldn't distract in vain, said Apeiron. I have remembered where to go.
Well, if you insist, Your Excellency, Shirou also mentally replied.
A little more respect in your tone, boy.
What was this for, I wonder?
Again, he did not answer him. Shirou from time to time was glad to hone his language, but Apeiron was not a fan of scratching tongues in vain. And so Shiro had to be content with the little communication he was able to grab. However, he already knew him well. Apeiron was quite arrogant, but sometimes he helped when the situation was not for the better. If he saw that Shirou was alright, he didn't even think about interfering. Sometimes Shirou was grateful for that, sometimes not.
"Here we are."
The blacksmith raised his voice and Shirou looked up from his thoughts.
They stood in a small cubbyhole, hung with various weapons. A variety of swords, spears, daggers and hammers hung from hooks and stood leaning against the walls.
Shirou, as a decent person, did not immediately rush into the depths and just stared.
"Can I touch some of them?" he asked and the blacksmith jokingly waved his hand, sitting down on a box nearby.
"Touch what you want, bro."
And so Shirou immediately grabbed the nearby blade. He could analyze everything at once, but that was not interesting. It is much better to hold each in your hands, wave a couple of times and feel the weight with your hands.
Trace on, Shirou muttered to himself, no longer needing to chant a homemade spell out loud. Analysis…
An image of a sword made up of emerald lines immediately appeared in his head, before his eyes. Shiro nodded silently as he figured out what was what and moved on to the next one.
Swords were made from a wide variety of parts, sometimes from solid fragments of machines, and Shirou could read not only the history of the creation of such weapons, but also see what ... or, more precisely, who were the parts from which the swords were made.
They were mostly similar machines, but Shirou was still interested in seeing it. Apeiron reacted indifferently to everything, because already, as Emiya realized, he learned everything from his unique sources.
But it was different with the Magician. He analyzed everything that the blacksmith had and left after thanking him. The android, of course, was upset that nothing was bought, but as Shirou realized, he still liked the attention to his work. In addition, Shirou was not stingy with compliments, since there were still decent works. Especially the blades made of composite steel, the source of which Shirou could not fully understand. Reason told him that it was something like tungsten, which in Shirou's world was the most durable metal, but again in practice, he could hardly imagine how it was possible to make a weapon from tungsten. Was it tungsten carbide? Perhaps the androids could somehow synthesize it, but again it is not clear how exactly. Somehow, these details of the sword's history were hidden. But Shirou, anyway, decided to take a closer look at such a sword and try it in the future, because it was quite interesting.
Thus, after thanking the android, Shirou headed outside and soon disappeared from the camp, missing important characters of this story, literally five minutes apart.
Two androids, after some time, entered the territory of the resistance camp. They leisurely walked past other androids, exchanged a few words with someone, and headed deeper.
Their target stayed in the very center of the far wall. It was the tactical center of the entire camp, in which at the moment, and being more precise, almost always, there was only one android - Anemone.
The two approached her slowly.
"Hello, Anemone," the young man greeted, slightly shorter in comparison with his companion. It was a model scanner - 9S. "We came back from the campaign with good news. Two enemies were struck in a cavern in the east, but we were unable to delay them, as well as to obtain any more detailed and valuable information."
His partner, the combat model 2B, only nodded in response, without saying anything, as her companion told all the necessary things. And ranting ... it was not her style. Let the scanners tell the most necessary things.
"Okay. The fact that you did not die is the best news, but the failure to obtain information ... This is unpleasant."
"Yes, and also we ..."
2B did not listen to further conversation. If there is something important, then 9S will tell her, so there was no point in loading herself with unnecessary data.
She looked around, surveying the camp. Nothing new, everything seemed to be the same.
Just ... It seems to be the same as before. 2B noticed something that stood out from the usual image and this did not give her rest. Something happened. As she walked when they returned, she paid no attention to it, lost in thought about that machine. But now, looking more closely, the android realized that the rest of the androids were talking about something. At least those that were in groups.
After focusing to them, 2B tried to hear what was being said.
"In red…"
"So attractive!"
"He was real ..."
"He caught the bullet with his bare hand, remember? That was something!"
"Human …"
"Exactly, real, that's how they look, the creators ..."
2B shook her head, wondering to what she was listening to. This can not be true. Can't it? .."
Swallowing, purely instinctively, she turned back and listened to what 9S and Anemone were talking about.
"By the way, have you come across one ... character?"
"The character?" 2B gave voice in bewilderment, for the first time during her stay in the camp.
"Dressed in red, red hair, skin slightly darkish. Pretty high. Have you met him?"
9S and 2B jumped up immediately. Of course, they have! It was about him that they reported to the Commander.
"We have," calmly, unlike her mental state, answered 2B. "We assume that he is dangerous, and therefore decided that immediate liquidation is necessary ..."
"Wait, 2B," interrupted 9S. "Anemone, how do you know about it?"
"He was here," she said simply, and a couple of androids were immediately alarmed.
"Did you capture him? Is it destroyed? It could be dangerous! Commander ..."
"This is not necessary," came the laconic answer.
"But the Comma..."
"It's simple," Anemone made a dramatic pause, inwardly amused at how the pair of androids from YoRHa were waiting for a response. "It was not an android. And not a machine. It was a human."
There was a moment of awkward silence, during which no one said a word. Anemone was additionally embarrassed by the fact that all YoRHa units wore black visor bands, and therefore it was impossible to see their eyes.
And of course, 2B reacted first.
"It IS a trap. Definitely a trap. It has deceived you. I don't know how he succeeded, but he has."
"Why did you decide that?" Anemone asked slightly surprised, among other things, looking at 9S, who was slightly shaken.
"I…" 2B suddenly fell silent, opening her mouth and finding no words. "Well, I ... I ..."
"REAL HUMAN!" Howled 9S, wringing his hands. "Anemone! Where is he? Where did he go?!"
The head of the resistance camp burst out laughing, hands on hips. What a different reaction these two have.
"He went to the desert at my request. Our units have registered several machines there, which must not reach the city. Otherwise, it will be bad. I asked Emiya Shirou to deal with this problem."
"Did you send a human to deal with the machines?" 2B asked incredulously, shaking her head. "How could you?"
Her fears were justified. According to some archives and reports, people were rather weak in terms of combat, and therefore she could not believe how a simple person could cope with any, even the smallest machine.
But almost immediately, she remembered the words of other androids, which she had involuntarily overheard.
"Is he that strong?" 9S asked for her.
Anemone simply smiled in response, remembering some of the details of the meeting with Emiya and the pressure she felt.
"You'd better see for yourself."
"Emiya ... Shirou ..." 2B muttered.
"Anemone, where exactly did he go?" 9S demanded. "Perhaps we can catch up with him ... We could provide support, and ..."
"Oh, believe me, he doesn't need your support. One way or another, you are likely to miss him again. So, either wait for him here, or don't go far. Your room is still yours."
Both androids nodded to her and headed to the far side of the camp, where their room, allocated by Anemone, was located.
Both had rather scattered thoughts in their heads, but both of them had similar thought:
"Who is this Emiya Shirou?"
In the meantime, the aforementioned person has almost reached the desert. Shirou walked in the approximate direction to which Anemone pointed to him and got to the cave, through which he had to go and after which, judging by the advice again, the desert should begin.
Of course, the sand was already everywhere, and it was getting much hotter than it was in the wooded area. If rain could be expected in the city, as Apeiron told him, then in the desert ... simply put, rain was just a dream.
Shirou took care of drinking water from the place before and was on full alert, but still not sure what exactly he would have to face. Anemone, of course, enlightened him about the machines, that were the size ... bigger, but what could it give in terms of combat? In the tactical sense, Shiro received some details, but in the combat sense, everything was still empty, because during these few days he had not yet encountered machines several times larger than himself.
Stupid familiar, led us to some incomprehensible place again!
Shirou blinked and turned around, expecting to see the face of his Master, Louise, flushed with anger and resentment, but there was no one there.
"Again?.."
He remembered very well how for a while, very life-like visions of his old friend Rin appeared to him, but he already understood that this was not true. Just a mirage made by the mind to keep itself from pain.
But what could happen to Louise? Now she is the strongest Void Mage in her world, she is not in threatened by anything and will not be in any danger, so there is nothing to worry about.
For a split second, Shirou looked at the same spot where he heard those words and decided to head on.
After all, they could have been mirages created because of the heat of the desert. Shirou encountered them, but they were not as realistic.
One way or another, it was worth thinking again about what weapon to use in accordance with the danger of the enemy.
Shirou watched the machine lifeforms standing in place, the visors of which seemed to be burning scarlet, but they, again, seemed to not move at all, even when he came close to them.
He remembered the sword he had saw at the blacksmith's. Of course, Shirou managed to project it, but in practice, the sword, which was supposed to be very powerful, could not even withstand the blow and fell apart.
No, Shirou certainly had no doubts about his ability to project weapons, but still ... What could be the reason? Emiya tried to get this sword, redeem it in one way or another, but the blacksmith was adamant. Standing in front of him, Shirou hesitantly fiddled with his treasures, the finest blades that humanity has ever seen, but the blacksmith just shook his head, saying that they would not be useful for him anywhere.
And this put the Magician into prostration. In his previous world, for any of these blades, he could get a fortune.
And here?
Here his treasures were not needed by anyone.
Androids need practical things that can be used somewhere. And since they do not have an internal source of magical energy, they will not be able to use magical things. But even without them, there was a lot to see in Shirou's collection!
And yet nothing worked.
Then Shirou tried to go the other way. Now he remembered his stupid question: Perhaps I can get something for you? In exchange for this sword ...
The blacksmith just burst out laughing and said ... so many things that Shirou was already beginning to doubt whether the blade was worth the effort he would have to put in.
First, he needed fifty thousand. Shirou didn't know what exactly fifty thousand was, what kind of currency it was and what it looked like, but above all that was not all.
The blacksmith needed an intact machine core. In that conversation, out of the corner of his eye, Shirou saw Anemone shaking her head disapprovingly, clearly hearing them. From what Shirou understood, trying to figure out the essence of the matter, it was impossible to get the whole machine core.
This is understandable, because they detonate. This is probably caused by overloading of the core itself.
But that was not the end. The blacksmith needed a lot of machine limbs, arms and legs, but the main thing was chest armor, which he could use to make new weapons, as well as shields and armor.
By that time, Shirou began to think that he didn't need this sword that much, but now, remembering all this and seeing huge crowds (not actually) of machines in front of him, he realized that at least it would be really easy to get their limbs.
But what kind of currency they use? Where can I get it? Are they coins? Paper money? What is the point in them if there are no shops here?
However, there were vending machines with drinks here ...
Although they were broken, but Shirou assumed that this particular currency could somehow activate them. Unfortunately, he did not ask Anemone anything about this.
He really should have.
Shirou left the cave and closed his eyes, squinting at the sun.
It had become unbearably hot, but fortunately, his enchanted clothes gave a small degree of coolness to his body, and so it was possible to live. However, Shirou wouldn't mind wearing a headdress. Headdresses - Kufi did not remain in his treasury, he spent the last in Halkeginia, and did not bother to make new ones.
Made it harder for myself. I'll be smarter next time.
A lonely and treacherous thought flashed through the Magician's head.
There was a vending machine in the distance, just as decrepit as the others, and Shirou wanted it to work like a real thing more than ever.
In fact, there were no landmarks. Somewhere very far to the right, stone skyscrapers could be seen, the same as in the city, but a little more sloped and destroyed.
Looking at them, Shirou easily realized that there had never been any sand here before. It is simply located closer to the equator than in the previous world. This place could not be compared even with Japan, because the climate was very different. Unlike the humidity, which prevailed there almost everywhere, as Shirou could tell, here ... in the desert, everything was as dry as in Africa.
And Shirou had no idea that this could happen, which turned the city into a desert of sand.
Everything was covered with ash and salt before, Apeiron responded to his thoughts.
"Ashes? And what is salt for?"
You did not understand what I showed you. The great "plague" overtook the human race and no one was left. All turned to salt and ashes.
As soon as Shiro focused on the words of Apeiron, the desert suddenly disappeared into a city such as Shirou was accustomed to in his old, home world.
People were screaming, turning into salt pillars and literally collapsing, and this was happening everywhere.
"Help ... help me ..."
A very young girl ran to him, and Shirou, with eyes opened widely, activated magic circuits, ready for anything. But the girl did not reach him, slowing and slowing down, turning into salt and decaying, like everyone else.
As a result, on Shirou's hands, she fell in flakes of ash, crumbling right on ... sand.
Hearken?
Shirou straightened up sharply, realizing that it was only a vision and wanted to glare at Apeiron, but immediately realized that there was no one to vent his anger on.
All this was happening in his head, as always.
Shaking his head, Shirou finally approached the antique vending machine.
He spent some time looking at it, the variety of different drinks that most likely had nothing in them, and the holes. On the LCD at the bottom right, there was the same mark that he saw on other similar devices.
"Could it be ... a station? Or something like that?"
For some reason, Shirou asked out loud without expecting anything. No one answered him, because Apeiron did not find it worthy of comment.
Then he came close to the vending machine and knocked on the lid. There was a surprisingly hollow sound that told the Magician that the inside was empty. Perhaps it is true that the androids go inside this device, and ... what? Recharging somehow? Getting a repairt? Currency? Who knows.
Shiro tried to open the machine by the handle that was there, but nothing happened, and he didn't want to break the machine, even by accident.
And so Shirou headed deep into the desert, not knowing where he was going.
However, he did not have to go far.
Several miniature machines were running after each other about a hundred meters from him. Even from here, due to his vision, Shirou could see that their eyes were not green, which would tell him not to attack them. They were red.
This was probably a sign.
Projecting the bow, Shirou placed an arrow on the string, holding the others with his fingers and preparing to destroy them instantly.
After all ... they are not people.
And then he fired. Machines detonated instantly, but almost immediately after the explosion, there was a loud noise, the sand flew in all directions and Shirou had to take a closer look ...
Only in order to see three machines at once, which, probably, were they he heard about. They were about five meters each, so Shirou didn't have to pay extra attention to see them clearly. They could be seen from afar.
Deciding to try that same blade again, and seeing that the machines were in no hurry to attack him, Shirou leisurely projected the sword as perfectly as he could. Then he changed it, twisting it slightly counterclockwise and making it look like an arrow. He put the same blade on the bowstring, aimed and fired.
The projectile instantly reached the target, but did not produce the effect that could be expected from it.
As soon as it reached the head of the machine closest to Shiro, the shell exploded and ... did no harm. Didn't even shake them.
Damn it!
And it was not known whether the sword was so difficult to copy, or whether the protection of these robots was much better than that of everyone else.
So after scattering the bow, Shirou headed towards them.
The machines paid attention to him and headed towards him, waving their huge arms, at the ends of which, like gloves, were weighted plates, roughly making the hands and fingers.
"Well then ... Trace on!"
Shirou projected Kansho and Bakuya beloved twin blades and threw both at the nearest robot. Much to the Mage's regret, the machine life form fought them both off, but the blades cut large chunks off the plates.
This was pleasing, because it means they can be killed.
But suddenly unexpected happened. The limbs of the machines flowed with energy and electricity. Even from a distance, Shirou felt the hair on his head sway.
"Shouldn't get under their blows ... Definitely not worth it ..."
He muttered.
The robots creaked very loudly, like unlubricated mechanisms, and Shirou, dodging blows for some time and literally dancing between them, striking blows, tried to recognize the grinding, because he felt some kind of ... incomprehensible, incomprehensible logic in it.
"Apeiron! Is it a language?"
For a while, no one answered him, and Shirou had already managed to strip the lower limbs of one of the robots, and pierce that one with a long, nameless spear, which, nevertheless, was still a Noble Phantasm from the greatest treasury of the king of heroes.
Not a language. Do not heed their words, for what are they for the living ones?
The veiled hint that it would be better to focus on the fight was clear.
Almost immediately one of the heavy limbs flew from above, but with his spear, which he managed to project, Shirou blocked it and, literally, swept it aside, cutting it off during the parry.
The machines did not make any sounds from the fact that Shirou gradually cut off body parts from them, which was an additional sign that they did not feel pain. Unlike the other machines, they didn't even speak an understandable language, so Shirou didn't hesitate to kill them. One way or another, they are a threat to living and intelligent beings in the city.
One way or another, he was doing the job of a cleaner.
Will you keep going straight to Hell with this in mind?
Archer's dark and cold voice rang out in his head, very different from his, Shirou's, voice.
"You forgot what it's like to save people, Archer!"
Shirou exclaimed, and, with a well-coordinated movement, he destroyed the first of the robots, which had previously been lying on the ground and trying to reach him.
Scattering the spear, Shirou projected his favorite swords again and with a couple of strikes diagonally cut off all the remaining limbs of the other robot.
"You forgot what it means to be a hero of justice!"
Curved swords, yin and yang, stuck deep into the robot's chest armor causing it to stop and fall to the ground.
"So look carefully ... I will remind you!"
And with a long jump upward, he finally cut off the head of the latter and left a deep groove in his chest, bumping into something in it ... it felt fragile and semi-material, like a heart.
Jumping from it to the ground, Shirou watched the machine attentively, expecting them to get up again.
Anyway, you had become the same as me.
"Hell no."
Shirou spat out and threw Kansho right into the core of the machine that was about to hit him.
"I'll never be you."
Suddenly, the machines detonated and Shirou jumped backwards with a long jump, leaving him out of the blast's reach.
But the troubles ... it turns out, did not end there.
There was a whistle of wind behind him and Shiro, on pure reflexes, projected Kansho and Bakuya, turned around, blocking the blow of a complex, composite sword, which, almost immediately, was reflected in his Reality Marble - the Unlimited Blade Works.
The blade was held by a woman with long white hair. Instead of the usual clothes that he saw on androids, she was wearing only black fabric that covered the hips and groin, like shorts, and also some kind of top. All her pale skin was covered in soot, and it gave the impression that the android, and it was precisely the android, had just escaped from the battle.
"Who are you?!"
Shirou exclaimed pushing her back.
"It does not matter. I watched you for a long time. You are dangerous, and my direct task will be to kill you while you have not yet recovered."
Shirou didn't even needed to catch his breath. But she pounced on him again, dealing several blows, and Emiya blocked them all. The pressure on the hands, however, was stronger than that of the machines.
"Let me expla …"
"This is what I must to do in the name of my fallen comrades!"
She twisted in some kind of strange pirouette, and Shirou only noticed out of the corner of his eye that the blade was flying straight to his throat.
What the hell with this dangerous world ...
It was the last thought that crossed his mind, accompanied by Archer's ghostly and very unpleasant laugh.